COPD’s Role in Respiratory Compromise

The Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety (PPAHS) announced its intention to broaden its discussion of respiratory compromise to include non-opioid-related issues and COPD’s role in respiratory compromise.

Michael Wong, JD (Founder and Executive Director, PPAHS) explained that a discussion of COPD’s role in respiratory compromise is a natural progression of PPAHS initiative in growing awareness of this critical patient safety issue:

“The majority instances of respiratory compromise that occur are often related to the administration of opioids. However, we have not previously addressed, as sufficiently as we could, respiratory compromise that may have been caused by other patient conditions – such as COPD [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease], OSA [obstructive sleep apnea], or asthma.”

Definition of Respiratory Compromise

Respiratory Compromise is defined by the Respiratory Compromise Institute as

“a state in which there is a high likelihood of decompensation into respiratory insufficiency, respiratory failure or death, but in which specific interventions (enhanced monitoring and/or therapies) might prevent or mitigate decompensation.”

The Respiratory Compromise Institute is a diverse coalition of 14 medical and safety organizations devoted to raising awareness about respiratory compromise:

  • American Association for Respiratory Care
  • American College of Chest Physicians
  • American College of Emergency Physicians
  • American Society of Anesthesiologists
  • American Thoracic Society
  • Canadian Society of Respiratory Therapists
  • National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists
  • National Association of EMS Physicians
  • National Association for Medical Direction of Respiratory Care
  • Physician Patient Alliance for Health & Safety
  • Society of Anesthesia & Sleep Medicine
  • Society of Critical Care Medicine
  • Society of Hospital Medicine
  • The National Board for Respiratory Care
Clinical Education Podcast on COPD’s Role in Respiratory Compromise

PPAHS will commence its discussion about non-opioid related respiratory compromise with a clinical education podcast on the Society of Hospital Medicine’s COPD Guide.

This clinical education podcast will feature a discussion with:

  • Peter K. Lindenhauer, MD, MSC, MHM (Director, Institute for Healthcare Delivery and Population Science, University of Massachusetts Medical School-Baystate; Assistant Dean of Population Health, University of Massachusetts Medical School-Baystate)
  • Valerie Press, MD, MPH (Associate Director of Med-Peds Research, University of Chicago Department of Medicine)
  • Richard Anthony Mularski, MD (Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center)
  • Joshua LaBrin, MD, FACP, SFHM (Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Utah)
  • Weijen Chang, MD (Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, University of California San Diego School of Medicine)

The clinical education podcast is made possible by an unrestricted educational grant from Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. Please subscribe to the PPAHS YouTube Channel to receive notification of this podcast on COPD’s role in respiratory compromise and other clinical education podcasts.

Leave a Comment, if You Care About Patient Safety